Cover-Comic Reader is a simple app that pulls your digital comic book collection under one roof to make it easier to enjoy and manage. Available for both Windows PC and Phone, the app has straightforward commands and supports a broad range of file formats.
The free copy of Cover-Comic Reader supports libraries of up to 25 comic books and an in-app upgrade ($1.49) will extend that limit to 250 books — or you can pay $2.99 for unlimited storage support. Cover-Comic Reader has support for comic books locally stored or stored on a network, on OneDrive or Dropbox.
We took the Windows PC version of Cover-Comic Reader out for a test drive and found it to be a user-friendly option to enjoy your digital comic book collection from the comfort of your PC, tablet or Windows Phone.
The first order of business with Cover-Comic Reader is to establish your library sources. The opening page will display the comic title you currently are reading and thumbnail images of your library collection. There is a library button in the upper right corner of the main page that will allow you to import files from a local storage folder, OneDrive, Dropbox or a network connection. The cloud access is a great option for your Windows Phone or tablet where storage space may be limited.
Cover supports a range of comic files, including CBZ/RAR, CBR/RAR, 7Z/CB7, CBT, PDF and EPUB file formats.
Once you have selected your file source, the library will be populated and you are ready to dive into your comic book collection. App commands are available from the menu button that rests in the upper left corner of the screen.
Commands for the main library display include selecting/unselecting books, mark books as read or unread, tag a book as a favorite and toggle between online and offline modes. Settings for the app can also be accessed from the menu and includes options to change the background color (black or white), enable the manga mode and several layout settings for the reading screens (borders, stack pages, etc.).
The reading display does support dual-page display and has a set of commands that are independent of the library display. These options include a night mode setting, tagging a book as a favorite, pin a book to your Start Screen, adjust the fit of the comic, toggle between one and two page views and enable the manga mode.
Selecting the night mode will pull up a slider that will adjust the brightness of the display. The manga mode changes the reading direction from left to right to right to left, optimized for the Japanese style of comic books.
Page turns are done by swiping at the screen and keyboard controls are available for the times you are using Cover-Comic Reader from a non-touch PC. Graphic quality is nice and comics were displayed in natural colors and easy to read the text. Should you need to zoom in to read the smaller text, the reader can be pinched to zoom.
Simple Comic Reader and Library
I grew up where comic books cost less than a quarter and the selection could be contained in a single, spindle rack at the drug store. Today we've got complete storefronts are dedicated to comic books. Or should I say graphic novels? Needless to say, I'm a relative newbie to the digital comic book realm and found Cover-Comic Reader to be an easy introduction to these digital publications.
While the layout is simple, I would like to see it eventually take on a Windows 10 appearance. The slide-over menu works, but a menu bar running down the edge of the screen that can be expanded may have worked better. I think it would not only help with the eye appeal of the app but also help new users get used to navigating around the app.
While I concentrated on the Windows PC version of Cover-Comic Reader, the Windows Phone version was not much of a departure, save a few layout differences due to the smaller screen.
While the free version is limited to 25 comics (just so you can get a feel for it), the in-app upgrades are a reasonable charge for the full capabilities of the app. If you are in search for an easy-to-use, free comic reader, then Cover-Comic Reader is worth checking out.
Download Comic-Comic Reader for Windows PC and Phone
